


Star Wars VIII: Bonded

by EchoPhoenix



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Episode VIII, F/M, Force Bond (Star Wars), My First AO3 Post, Reylo - Freeform, Sequel, Slow Burn, Slow Burn Reylo
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-27
Updated: 2016-05-23
Packaged: 2018-06-04 21:18:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,152
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6675796
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EchoPhoenix/pseuds/EchoPhoenix
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Luke Skywalker has finally been found. The First Order is recovering from its recent loss of Star Killer Base. Snoke is ever suspicious of his apprentice Kylo Ren and asks an old friend for help. Kylo Ren is forced to face more difficult choices. Eventual Reylo. What I want to happen in Episode VIII. (I suck at summaries)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. I

Leia watched the Millennium Falcon leave knowing that it was in safe hands. She watched it leave knowing that she would soon see her brother again. He would sort this mess out. Everything was going to be okay. She could not deny the emptiness in her chest which was the loss of Han. She subconsciously felt her wedding ring around her finger. Even when Han had left her, she had not taken it off. She knew that now she wouldn’t take it off. Not after all they had been through. 

 

She still stood there as many orange jump suited Resistance pilots and techs went back inside the jungle base to continue the celebration that had halted while waving off the Falcon. There had been a non-stop giddy celebration since the destruction of the First Orders great weapon and base. 

 

Leia could not help but feel the pang of anxiety wondering about her son, Ben Organa-Solo. She could remember Han fighting about his last name, whether it should have been Solo or Organa. Eventually after a lot of bickering C3PO suggested a double-barrel name. It had taken some persuading since Han and Leia shared their stubbornness but eventually they agreed. Leia could feel a twang of heartache at the thought of her boys.

 

She had not wanted to ask Rey what had become of her son after seeing the state that he had left Finn. She had a small hope that she would have felt his possible demise through the force like she had Han’s. She had not felt anything in the Force since Han’s death; but she was uncertain whether it was her lack of teaching which stopped her from feeling anything. She shrugged off the thought, reassuring herself that she would have felt her son’s death. He was her son after all.

 

She wasn’t sure anymore.

 

She had heard hushed whispers around the Resistance base of her son, no longer Ben Organa-Solo, but the infamous Kylo Ren. She heard that he had murdered countless people in equally countless villages and towns. She heard from Finn that he had tortured Poe Dameron to the point that he wanted the swift angel of death to come and visit him to end his suffering. That he had subdued Rey and taken her from the open lakes and forests of Takodana to somewhere much more sinister and threatening.

That was not the sweet, young, dark haired boy that she remembered. She could remember a boyish grin that greatly resembled his fathers. She could remember over large ears that he loathed, ears which Leia had told him that if he grew his hair they would be hidden, even though she was fond of them. She could remember how he would nervously run his fingers through his hair whenever Leia had found him reading holo-books about the Jedi. He would always tell her that it was preparing him for when he would go and learn with Luke. She had chuckled at him and told him to sleep.

 

Luke.

 

That was when she lost them both. When she sent her son to be trained as a Jedi. She was not there much when he was a young child, having late night mission plans with the Resistance seemed more important than a bedtime story. When she got home Ben would always be sleeping, and undoubtedly Han would be somewhere trying to smuggle for a High General of some sorts.

 

She could remember vividly her son at the Jedi Academy sending her constant Holo-Videos almost every day, what he would say would always be along the lines of the same thing; “I don’t like it here.” “The other kids make fun of my nose.” And every time at the end he would say “Mommy, can I come home now?” She could remember it always breaking her heart when she had to tell him that he hadn’t finished his training yet. She should have known that something was going on when he began to skip days when he would usually talk to her via holo-video. She just assumed that he was finally settling in. But little did she know that someone had targeted her son since the day he was born.

 

She did not know that his frequent complaints of headaches were a dark presence in his mind. That would explain why medication didn’t seem to help his head. She thought to herself. She somehow thought that under Luke’s guidance everything would be okay, nothing would happen to her baby. She was wrong.

 

Her eyes had gone out of focus when she felt the presence of someone next to her. When she looked over it was Poe Dameron, he looked tired with dark bags under his eyes. He had been staying with Finn ever since Star Killer, keeping an eye on his progress. She felt a brisk chill grace her skin and her hair prickled. Poe stood next to her as they looked out onto the dense forests of D’Qar.

 

“What are you thinking?” He did not turn to look at her but looked at some passing X-Wings skimming over the treetops.

 

“Nothing.” She said flatly as she followed his gaze towards the dancing X-Wings.

 

“You’re thinking about him, aren’t you? Your son?” He said, this time he looked at her and studied the wise old face. 

 

To someone who did not have any idea of what she had been through, she probably looked like any old woman. But she was not. To the trained eye you could see the sadness in her eyes. Poe could see it.

 

She didn’t say anything but nodded. She felt another wave of sadness and self-loathing wash over her. She could remember calling Poe Ben at least three times. Each time she would feel a wave of sadness roll over her. She could remember Poe clutching her in a hug as she blinked back tears.

 

“We should go inside. It’s getting cold out.” He held out his arm to indicate that he was not leaving without her. She sighed and began to walk towards the underground resistance base with Poe in line with her.

 

She just had to hope that her brother would come back. And hope is all she could do.

 

oooOOOooo

Kylo Ren lay on his dark bed staring at the ceiling. He was deep underground in the depths of a mountain on a planet unknown to him. He could head the clatter of Stormtrooper armour outside his door walking up and down the corridor. He had become undoubtedly colder and more violent when it came to the faceless masked figures. He assumed that it was because of the traitor FN-2187.

 

He shut his eyes and willed himself to sleep. But whenever he slept he imagined her. He imagined her dark hair and her hazel eyes staring at him. He could remember the purple light cast on her from their two locked lightsabers, he had offered to be her teacher. He did not want to kill her. He never wanted to kill her. He wanted her to join him. He wanted her by his side. 

 

He lifted an un-gloved hand to the scar that she had left on his face, he trailed his fingers gently down it, although it was a gift from her to him. He could remember seeing the anger that pulsed through her veins when she had circled him like a shark ready to bite. He could see the darkness in her light, and he could not deny that he was curious about it. He wanted to see the potential of her as his student.

 

He had asked her to be his student, his apprentice. Pathetic. He said to himself. He should have just knocked her out and left the crumbling planet. In these times freedom of choice was a rare thing to come by. He cursed himself for being so naive to even consider her taking his offer. 

 

He stared at the ceiling once more and made a vow to make her his.

 

oooOOOooo

 

Ach-To was a mainly blue planet with small specs of green riddled across the sea of blue. When she saw it Rey thought that is was not unlike any other planet that she had seen; but she knew that it contained something far more important.

 

When the ship touched down Chewie and R2 escorted her out of the ship but because of the towering hills and steep stone steps R2 would not be able to follow Rey up the steps. Chewie remained with R2 to watch the Falcon, and R2 along with it.

 

Rey looked up the towering steps and could not deny the growing knot in her stomach. She ignored it as she slung her bag over her shoulder. She began to ascend the countless number of uneven steps.

 

It felt like hours when she finally came to a flat green outcrop that gave a beautiful view of the sea beyond. A cloaked figure stood draped in a grey cloak, his back to her. She stood fifty foot away from him and watched as the man known as Luke Skywalker turned to her. She watched as he pulled his hood down with a metal hand. The legends were true.

 

They stared at each other for a second before Rey pulled out the metal lightsaber. It was cold to the touch as her finger tips touched it. She held it out to the man who slightly tilted his head. She looked at him pleadingly, willing him either to say something or to take it.

 

She felt a slight pull form the saber and let it go immediately. It flew across to the old man before her. He looked down at the silver object in his hand fondly, like two friends who had not seen each other for a long time. 

 

The lightsaber ignited, it’s blue glow cast a faint light around the surrounding area. He twirled the lightsaber skilfully. She watched in awe as he whipped it around him almost creating a wind with the speed of it. The lightsaber suddenly returned to its dormant state and Rey came out of her trance. The man looked at her with electric blue eyes that seemed to stare into her very soul.

 

“Where did you get this?” Luke Skywalker said as he looked at the lightsaber again.

 

“I got it from Maz’s castle on Takodana.” She paused for a second before continuing. “It called to me.” She said tentatively. Luke frowned quickly.

 

“It called to you?” He said inquiringly.

 

“Yes.” She said finally. She was wondering why he was asking if it called to her and where she got it, surely there were more pressing matters to discuss.

 

“Why did you come?” He said finally after searching with his eyes. He turned and looked at the sea once more.

 

“The Resistance needs you.” She paused again deliberating on how exactly she would get him back to the Resistance. “Your sister needs you.” She said finally.

 

“I can’t.” He said finally.

 

“What? No! You have to teach me!” She pleaded, her voice once calm now cracked as she felt on the verge of tears. “Please.” She said finally.

 

“I can’t”. He paused for a moment before continuing “you are already bonded to someone else.” He said flatly. She was about to reply indignantly when he said darkly. “Kylo Ren.”


	2. Chapter 2

Rey stood there. She didn’t move. Luke had walked higher up the rock so now Rey could not see him clearly. She felt light headed all of a sudden, white stars clouded her vision. How could she possibly have been bonded to that repulsive creature who called himself Kylo Ren. She shook her head, as if she shook her head and denied it enough it would not be true. She was hunched over and was clutching her stomach, she felt like she may vomit. She needed answers, and she was not going to leave until that problematic Skywalker was by her side.

She quickly sprinted -somewhat haphazardly- up the hill that Luke Skywalker had gone up minutes before. She felt rage and confusion begin to rage up inside her. She knew that being a Jedi consists of controlling your emotions but at this moment she did not care about what the Jedi code was. She needed to know how this could have happened.

Luke was crouched down by a fire prodding the flames with a long stick. He dislodged a large log which let the flames roar wildly. She stood behind him panting and clutching her side. She could hear him sigh as he threw the long stick that he had been prodding the fire with onto the flames. 

“What do you mean – bonded?” She put emphasis on the last word which terrified her so. Bonded? She did not know completely what happened in the interrogation but she knew that she had not been bonded. She was certain of it. 

The old man sighed and sat down on a log that served as a seat. Rey stood behind him, waiting for a reply. She wanted to scream in frustration at the old man. Wasn’t he meant to save the galaxy? She asked herself. At this moment in time she was not so sure of the wrinkled old face before her. He held out his hand and motioned for her take a seat next to him. Rey hesitated a moment and considered just dragging the man to the Falcon. Then the realisation hit her that she was in the presence of the single greatest Jedi of the new age and it somewhat dimmed that thought. 

She sat down on a small rock, her knees were close to her chest as she watched the old man. The orange firelight illuminated his face. She had not noticed how dark it had become, it was almost dusk. He let out another sigh before sitting up straight and turning to face her.

“Force bonds are more commonly formed between Jedi’s and their apprentices. They allow the two people who are bonded to communicate their thoughts and emotions from great distances. It is a bond that forms when master and apprentice both understand each other completely.” He said gravely as Rey stared into the dancing flames in disbelief. She was bonded to Kylo Ren?

“Did the lightsaber call to you?” Luke asked again, his face masked of all emotion as he looked down at the steel saber. Rey nodded, she felt as though words had failed her. “I haven’t seen this lightsaber in a long time and from the last I heard of it, it was in the possession of my nephew,” He paused for a second. “Kylo Ren.” Rey stared studied the man who stood before her as though trying to find something that indicated that he was lying to her. 

“It was not my lightsaber that called to you… it was his.” He said as he held the lightsaber in question in his hand. 

Rey was attempting to process the mass of information that had just been put onto her shoulders. She put her head in her hands and massaged her temples. She felt a cold hand on her shoulder, she looked up quickly to see Luke with his mechanic hand on her shoulder, he looked at her pityingly, like he had just pronounced her death sentence.

“I’m sorry.” He said in a comforting voice. She shook her head which did not prove to be of any help because she immediately felt lightheaded and had to put a hand on the ground to steady herself. She looked at Luke and he seemed to be having an internal debate on whether to ask her something.

“When was the last time Kylo Ren looked into your mind?” He asked finally, his once comforting face now serious and calculating. 

“It only happened once. A few days ago.” She replied, she was searching his face for any sign of emotion; it seemed that in the time that he had been on Ahch-To he had locked away himself and his emotions.

“Hm.” He murmured, he looked deep in thought. “Have you had any dreams or nightmares which seemed almost out of your control. Or any thoughts that did not seem your own?” He asked, his blue eyes gave the unnerving feeling that he was x-raying her.

“No?” She replied uncertainly. Her mind had stopped spinning now and she felt as though she had digested the earlier information slightly.

“It seems as though he does not know about the force bond that you two share; he has not unlocked your mind so that he could come into it at his own free will. For how long though, I have no idea.” He muttered more to himself that Rey. He looked up suddenly. “You must forge a block in your mind, you have to stop him from entering your head at any cost. If he gains access your force bond he will be able to influence you.” She looked at him, bemused.

“What are you saying?” She asked, she thought that she knew what he was offering but needed him to say it with his own words.

“I can teach you. I will only teach you while you are not influenced by Kylo Ren. When that happens, yes ... when, I do believe he will seek you out once he knows about your bond, I will have to abandon your teachings.” He looked her in the eyes with such intensity that she wanted to look away, but she did not.

Rey looked at the old Jedi, her previous hope and happiness at being told that he would teach her now abandoned and replaced with despair. She knew that he was right, she knew that she could not run from Kylo Ren forever. She blinked away the unshed tears in her eyes. The girl who had come looking for Skywalker seemed to have died when she leaned of her – bond, whatever it was.

“It may be a day, it may be a month, it could be a year until Kylo Ren catches up with you. But when that happens I hope I will have taught you enough.” She nodded, she tried to ignore the pit in her stomach that seem to engulf her insides. “For now, you should get some rest. We will begin training in the morning.” And at that Luke Skywalker stood up and began to ascend still further up the hill.

Rey did not move but stared at the now dimly glowing fire. Sparks flew from it, the sparks resembled Kylo Ren’s lightsaber. Kylo Ren. The man she was now bonded with. She laid her head down on a patch of grass and hugged her knees, she could remember what he said when he had infiltrated her mind. His words seemed to reverberate in her head; At night, desperate to sleep, you imagine an island. She shut her eyes and waited for sleep to claim her.

oooOOOooo

Finn was making progress.

After the brutal back injuries that he had suffered at the hand of Kylo Ren while on Star Killer base, Finn had been in a medically induced coma so that he could recover. Poe had stayed with him most days and nights, he skipped recon missions so that he could be there when his friend finally woke up. The heart-rate monitor steadily beeped.

Poe was slumped in a chair with his flight helmet in his lap, he was half asleep when he heard a small grunt. He opened his eyes quickly to see Finn blinking as though he was a small baby trying to focus on something. He was rubbing his eyes. Poe jumped up, his flight helmet crashing to the floor in his haste to get to his friend. He closed the distance between himself and his friends bed with three swift steps, he crouched down beside him so he was at eye level.

“Hey buddy.” Poe smiled, Finn had some small burns on his face from where sparks had flown onto his face.

“Hey.” He smiled and looked around the room, his smile was swiftly replaced with a frown and a look of confusion. “Where’s Rey?” He asked after he had surveyed the room. Poe began to become very interested with his fingernails all of a sudden. “Poe, where is Rey?” He asked again this time with a hard edge in his voice that had not been there before.

“She had to go to Ach-To.” Poe said as he returned his gaze to the worrying face of Finn. 

“Ach-To? Why did they not wake me up?! I should have go with her!” He was even now beginning to un-attach himself from lots of tubes and wires that were inserted in his wrist and arms.

“Finn, you were in an extremely unstable position, we didn’t know if you were going to make it. It was vital that you were in intensive care.” Poe quickly grabbed Finns wrist and subdued him so he would not take out any more tubes. Finn shook his head and attempted to get free.

“Let go of me!” Finn yelled as he tried to wriggle free of Poe’s iron grasp. After feeling Poe’s unrelenting grasp, he stopped trying to struggle and leaned back on his mountain of pillows.

“Okay? Now when you are in a more stable condition you can begin to train.” Poe said as he let go of his wrist. Finn frowned and looked almost like a confused puppy.

“What do you mean train? When I am in a more stable condition I will be going to Ach-To to see Rey? Right?” Finn said frowning. Poe shook his head, he was failing to see why he was being so difficult, he knew that he and Rey had been through a lot but that was only over two days.

“Rey should be coming back soon, with or without Skywalker.” Poe finally said to calm his nerves, Finn seemed to relax.

“Okay, if you are sure, I believe you.” Finn said somewhat uncertainly. Poe nodded.

“I have to go on patrol but I will get someone to bring you some food, so stay here. Okay?” Poe said when he was standing in the doorway. Finn nodded and he smiled slightly. Poe took his leave he thought the flying would help him forget about how concerned Finn had looked when he realised Rey wasn’t there. He slipped his flight pilot helmet on his head and began to make his way to the hangers.

oooOOOooo

Kylo Ren was marching down the underground corridors towards the hall in which Supreme Leader Snoke would be waiting for him and the infernal, ginger haired General. Stormtroopers saluted curtly when Kylo Ren’s dark figure walked by them.

When he entered the hall he could glimpse down the long aisle, Hux standing before a throne like chair. Kylo’s echoing footsteps was the only sound in the cavernous open space. The room was large and had pillars made of a dark stone which seemed to make the high ceilinged hall even darker. The room felt like power itself, it radiated through the air, thick authority that seemed to smother him. He could see Hux turn to watch him walking up the aisle, a sneer laced his pale face.

Kylo Ren stood next to the general and faced the throne in which the small old figure of Supreme leader Snoke sat facing two of his most loyal servants. His skin was almost transparent; you could see blue veins under his skin. He had a great scar which cut almost directly through the middle of his forehead. He had many cuts which had healed but some of his greatest wounds still marred his visage. The left side of his face was disfigured and was slightly collapsed in on itself. 

“Kylo Ren, how nice of you to join us.” The Supreme Leader said, there was no sarcasm in his tone. Kylo Ren knelt down for a second showing his respect to his master, he rose again.

“Why have you called me here, Supreme Leader?” Kylo said, he almost completely ignored Hux’s presence which warranted a scathing look from the General. 

“Some new information has come to light.” The Supreme Leader in a voice that was subdued, leaving time for the tension to build. “When you first landed on this base, I felt something within you, something had shifted. I knew immediately, I wanted to consider all possible outcomes before confronting you.” He paused for a second before continuing. “I believe that you have been bonded with the Jakku scavenger.”

Kylo could tell that the Supreme Leader was trying to sense something within his apprentice, trying to know his thoughts on this newly found information. Kylo kept his face blank and simply nodded. He could not deny that he felt exhilarated with the newly found connection. With this connection he could imagine himself watching her dreams, no, controlling them. He could imagine himself whispering in her ear, asking her to join him. He quickly snapped back into reality when he heard the Supreme Leader begin to speak again.

“We have traced the Millennium Falcon to Ahch-To, it is situated on the outer rim. I need you to attempt to get into her mind, unlock an entrance to her thoughts. Once you have that you need to seduce her to the Order. To the dark side.” The Supreme Leader finished and looked at Kylo, waiting for an answer.

“I will go and prepare my ship, Supreme Leader. I will begin my journey tomorrow.” Kylo Ren nodded and bowed, he began to make his way out of the high ceilinged chamber. He was in a considerably happier mood than when he had entered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I updated early because I have been writing a lot so I thought that an early chapter could be posted ^-^ I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I will be posting next week sometime! Thank you for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

Snoke watched his two apprentices leave the Grand Hall. He had plans for them. 

He waited for a while before the heavy steel doors at the end of the dark grand hall cast a momentarily white light over the vacuous space before closing quickly and plunging the room back into a dimly lit darkness. The footsteps of a figure advancing to the frail Supreme Leader was the only sound in the large chamber.

“Ah, I see you have finally arrived.” The Supreme Leader said in a calm tone. “Rusak.”

The figure before him wore a dark cloak which shielded his face from view. When he reached the podium on which the Supreme Leader stood he knelt down and raised his arm - though you could hardly call it that- in the characteristic First Order salute. 

The man stood up straight, he held himself like a Royal, and in some ways he was a Royal. He was a highly esteemed assassin considered, by those who knew of him, as royalty. He raised his left hand to his hood and with one small motion he revealed his disfigured face.

One half of his face was scarred so deeply that there was no remnant left of the person he had once been. There was a deep, prominent scar that almost joined with his one solitary dark grey eye, it was almost the colour of cobalt. The other side of his face was made of an opaque, imperfect metal. It had small cuts, it was not pristine like the storm troopers white, polished helmets as there were great chunks missing. In the place where his dark grey eye should have been there was a red light which cast a scarlet glow over the dull metal.

“I see you are not missing your recently amputated hand? Who did you steal the crystal from?” The Supreme Leader inquired.

At the Supreme Leaders words, he ignited his lightsaber which protruded from the metal stump where his right hand should have been. The lightsaber was a yellowy colour, the man made skilful stabbing movements and slashed in the air, as if to demonstrate his skill. He used the saber as a sword, gracefully slashing through the air, but with the touch of an inner button the saber became a small dagger of light, but just as lethal. The lightsaber retracted into whence it had come.

“Joaquin Fayde.” A deep husky voice replied in a thick Russian accent. 

“Hmm, did you destroy his remaining crystals?” Snoke asked. The Supreme Leader had recently set his sights on collecting as many kyber crystals as he possibly could. And if he could not collect the crystals he would have to destroy them. Rusak grunted in response.

“Ah, now down to business. I have called you here so that you may observe Kylo Ren. Watch him closely, and if he shows signs of returning to the light, you must eliminate him.” Snoke said in a dark tone. “I have felt a small piece of light within him, I thought I could quash it out of him; At first it was small and insignificant, but now…” His voice trailed off.

“Of course, Supreme Leader.” Rusak replied curtly. He bowed low and turned to leave when the voice of the Supreme Leader rang out again.

“Make sure you are not detected.” 

Rusak stopped for a fleeting second and nodded before he made his way from the room, pulling his cloak back over his head as he made his leave.

oooOOOooo

Rey woke with a terrible ache in her back and neck.

She sat up from the bed of grass, she had almost forgotten where she was, but then she felt the wind dancing on her face and knew that this had not been a cruel nightmare and Kylo Ren was, indeed, bonded to her and would be for the foreseeable time.

Rey stood up and moved her head form one side to another attempting to stretch the muscles and to make the aching stop.

She looked around the area where she stood. The small fire that was roaring the night before was now reduced to ashes. She could see further up the hill spiralling smoke from an unknown source. She stretched her arms and stifled a yawn as she began to think of investigating the source of the thick, grey smoke. 

Soon she could see a small wooden roof then stone walls, then a small entrance way into a tiny hut. She walked up to the door and tentatively poked her head into the hut. Luke was sitting by a fire -presumably the source of the smoke - and was cooking something on it, a small bird of sorts. He motioned for her to take a seat. She was sure she had not made a sound coming in but then she realised that he had probably sensed her through the force. Rey took a seat opposite the old man, the fire was in-between them, when she looked up the heat slightly distorted his face. 

“Here.” He held out a leg of the bird that he was cooking, Rey took it obligingly.

She bit into the succulent meat, it didn’t have much of a taste but that did not bother Rey; she had had far less on Jakku to eat. While she ate Luke studied her, she could feel his piercing blue eyes on her the whole time she ate. Once she had finished she threw the bone onto the blazing fire.

“When are we going to start training?” Rey asked, she had been deliberating asking the Jedi about him offering to teach her ever since she walked into the cabin. She thought that it was not her place to ask but since the had been in the hut she had been feeling a growing lump of nervousness and excitement. The Jedi paused for a second, as if contemplating her asking.

“Now.” He said finally as he stood up briskly and walked from the room. It was as though he was keeping his distance purposely to irritate Rey, she did well to mask her annoyance. Rey stood and stopped momentarily before following him, glancing around the now empty hut.

When she immerged into the sunlight Luke was already half way down the hill, she hurried to catch up with him. Despite his age and his physical appearance, he was moving swiftly down the slope, Rey had to run to catch up with him.

They stopped on the piece of grass that she had first seen the old Jedi knight. Luke stopped almost exactly where he had stood just the day before, he looked at her sternly and seriously, it almost made Rey recoil from the ferocity of his stare. 

“Do you take what I am about to teach you with the upmost seriousness?” His gaze had not wavered. Rey gulped, now regretting asking at all, she should have just taken him back to the Resistance Base and been done with it.

“Yes.” She said finally

“Good. Now we will begin with your mental defences, you will need to know how to block your mind form un-wanted presences.” 

His face was blank, it did not show an ounce of emotion, as if he did not care that she had just been handed a life of running; and she knew that no one could run forever. Especially from the First Order. From Kylo Ren.

“I will enter your mind and you must attempt to get me out of your mind as swiftly as possible, understand?” He said firmly, his head was tilted forward slightly. 

Rey was sure that if she had ever gone to school with is what it would have been like, a teacher looming above you, asking you questions that made you uncomfortable. She had not replied, and made no motion to reply.

“If you wish for me to be your teacher there must be no secrets, nothing can be hidden from me. You must pledge yourself fully to my teachings if you want to exploit your full potential.” He said after seeing her discomfort, he could practically feel it radiating across the grass from her.

“I pledge myself fully to your teachings.” She said after another minute of deliberating.

She looked down as if she were a prisoner on Death Row waiting to be called to the electric chair. She did not know why she felt so much despair and nervousness. Maybe it was because when she was on Jakku she refused to give herself to anyone, let anyone say that they ‘owned’ her. But here she was now doing just that. It made her uncomfortable. 

“Good. And now we begin.”

oooOOOooo

Hux and Kylo were walking in toe with each other, he was walking to the landing bay where his black shuttle waited for him. The General was irritatingly walking right beside him, Kylo knew that they were going the same way but he wanted to be alone, to think about how he would attempt to enter the Scavengers -Rey he reminded himself of her name- mind and gain access to that wonderful little force bond.

“Going to go and fetch your play thing, are we?” The red headed General smirked.

It always made Kylo’s blood boil when the insolent General would condescend him, like he was some common Tech. He was no common Tech; he could crush the Generals wind pipe without raising an arm. He should be the one who should be scared. It was only on the command of the Supreme Leader that Hux was not already dead. 

“Why don’t you go and weep over the destruction of your play thing. Star Killer Base.” Kylo paused, considering how far he could push the General. “Such a pity, so much time and effort put into a device which would be destroyed after its first use.” Kylo could feel the General tense with discomfort next to him. It brought him immense pleasure.

“Well, maybe if you bring your play thing back, we could share?” The Red headed man -with an apparent death wish- said. “Apparently she was a pretty little thing according to some Stormtro-” 

The General was up against the wall in a flash. All use of the Force had been forgotten and all Kylo could feel was Hux’s veins pulsating under his fingers. It would be so easy just to finish him and make it look like an accident. He released his hand from the Generals tantalizingly easy to squeeze, throat.

“It looks like I have touched a nerve?” The General sniggered as he stood up from the black, polished floor that he had landed on. He swiped his hand pretentiously at a speck of dust on his black appellate. 

Kylo ignored the General and continued down the corridor at a swift walk. 

He was fuming with rage at the Generals comment. He was disgusted. In all his rage he did not notice the presence of someone watching him. Following him. Keeping themselves just close enough not to be detected, but close enough to feel the emotions of their quarry.

But Kylo could not deny that the General had been right about one thing; the girl was beautiful. He could imagine her in his mind’s eye, her eyes alight with a defiant flame that refused to be snuffed out. Her hazel hair speckled with patches of wet snow from their duel on the surface of Star Killer base. He had thought her beautiful when he had first seen her in a dense and green forests on Takodana. 

But that had only continued when he realised just how much she was like him. She had been abandoned by her family, much like he felt he had been. She had suffered from loneliness for as long as she could remember, much like himself. She had so much potential; if only she would allow him to show it to her.

Kylo had now entered the landing bay where his black ship seemed to call to him from where he stood. White, shining Stormtroopers stopped and gave a First Order salute as Kylo Ren passed. 

The hatch opened with a hiss as he approached the shuttle. He walked up the ramp quickly, his heart rate was beginning to thunder so loudly he felt although it may burst from his chest with nervous excitement. He crossed the inside deck of the ship to the Pilots area where a hologram showed the rear and front of the ship. He quickly punched in the co-ordinates that the Supreme Leader had given him. He felt the ship rise from the surface of the landing bay and speed out into the vastness of space. 

Little did Kylo Ren know that among the First Order Tie-Fighters beginning to lift off to follow him here was an imposter that no one dared to question. Little did he know that he was being tailed by the most famous force using assassin of their age. 

Rusak.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading and leaving Kudos! It means a lot and keeps me writing! Thank you for reading and I will post next week! Have a good week!


	4. Chapter 4

Rey sat by a hot campfire, watching the sunset over the dark oceans of Ach-To.

She had not realised how much of a toll it would take on her mentally. She felt drained and exhausted so was more than pleased when Luke announced that their first training session was over.

_“You have done as well as I expected on your first lesson.” Luke told Rey as she was crouched down on a rock massaging her temples._

_This was a lie, Rey suspected. She had not been able to push him out of her mind once. He had seen her childhood, the long, hard days on Jakku as well as more recent happenings with Finn, and Kylo Ren. They did not discuss what Luke had seen in her mind but carried on as if nothing had happened._

_“You should get some rest. We have another hard day of work tomorrow. We will continue with mind defences until you are sufficiently trained in the subject and can block any unwanted presences.” Luke said._

_He turned and looked out onto the vast ocean beyond the island. Little outcrops of land riddled the blue-black sea before them._

_Rey stood up with the help of her staff -she was feeling exceedingly weak- and began to half walk half climb up the small hill, which now looked like a mountain to her exhausted and aching form._

She felt a slight twinge of pain in the back of her skull. The days training had left her drained, and weaker than ever. She could feel her eyelids shutting. Rey stifled a yawn as she looked at the pinks and purples that painted the vast empty sky before her.

She half expected the dark silhouette of the sinister black ship that she had seen on Takodana, flanked by a fleet of Tie-Fighters, to appear at light speed at any given moment. She was relieved when no such thing happened.

She felt exhaustion begin to cloud her senses and blur her sight. She reached up slowly to untie her three hair buns so that her hair would fall loosely around her face. As she did so small strands of hair began to dance across her face, tickling her nose. She shook her head slightly and pushed her hair behind her ears as she settled down on a small, lush green patch of grass.

In her last waking moment, she could see Luke standing on the highest point of the small island. He was looking at the pastel sky. Rey would have been concerned that he would fall from the tall rocks into the dark sea below. But then she remembered that he was a Jedi after all. He had the force to protect him, should he need it.

Rey rolled over and let sleep wash over her.

**oooOOOooo**

Far from where her brother was Leia Organa stood watching a live hologram of the Millennium Falcon.

She was standing in the almost abandoned hub area of the underground base. She could remember when the great hologram of Star Killer Base was projected onto the podium, not the Millennium Falcon.

In secret she had asked a tech to put a small, undetectable sensor into the ship. The tech at first had opposed her but eventually, after some very special chosen words, he obliged.

She now stood, in the dead of night watching the ship. It showed two life forms on-board. One was showing warmth, very tall and hairy, lying in a bed while the other was cold and robotic standing still; probably recharging, Leia told herself.

It had been two days without a single word from Rey or her brother. She could feel a twinge of doubt in her mind. A small twang of anxiety here and there. She had not slept in forty-eight hours. Dark circles under her eyes stood out against her pale complexion. Her hair seemed greyer than usual and was beginning to fall out from the despair and stress she was enduing.

She had always slept easily knowing that Han was still out there. He was, maybe not totally safe, but he was okay. But now that comfort was gone. He was gone. Now all she had was the hologram and waiting like an old fool for her brother to step onto the freighter _which_ , she reminded herself, _he may never do._ For all she knew Luke and Rey could have been ambushed by the First Order. Or perhaps Lor San Tekka may have had the wrong information and they were far away from Luke.

She shook her head as if to cement in the thought that Luke was okay and he would be coming home soon.

Leia heard footsteps behind her and turned to face the source of said footsteps. It was Wexley.

“General,” He said somewhat surprised. “I was not expecting you to be up at this time.” He glanced over at a clock on the wall which pointed to 4am. Leia let out a dry laugh.

“I have been awake at this time for two days, Wexley.” She said as she turned back to the hologram Falcon. Chewie had just rolled over in his sleep.

“No word?” The man asked as he stood beside her.

“None.” She said flatly. She had fought off despair for as long as she could remember. First it was Alderaan, then it was her son, then Luke and now Han. She could feel Wexleys gaze on her. “Don’t you have to make a report for your Re-Con mission?” Leia asked finally after she could not bear the tension anymore.

“General, you need-” Wexley began before he was sharply cut off.

“What I need … is none of your concern. Now I would advise you to make your report.” Leia said in a tone that indicated that the conversation was over.

Wexley stood there for another second before to picked up his helmet and slung it under his arm taking his leave. Leia watched the hologram absently, listening to the footsteps echo down the corridor before being cut off by a door.

She let her gaze fall back onto the hologram, tiredness meant her eyes slid out of focus as she watched. She sighed and shut her eyes. She needed Luke more than ever now.

**oooOOOooo**

Kylo Ren could feel a mounting excitement as his ship vibrated around him, as if it wanted to get to its destination as much as he did. He could hear Tie-Fighter squad leaders ordering their squadron to change position.

Kylo was shaking with anticipation. He had to get close enough to get into her mind. He had to break the barrier. There was no telling what time of day -or night- it would be when they arrive, but he knew that it would be easier for him if she was asleep.

*

Luke was standing on the highest rock, it was approximately 1am. He had been standing, solemnly on the rock since Rey had fallen asleep. He was focusing on the Force, looking out for slight changes in the way it moves. All had been quiet.

Until now.

He felt a small shift in the force. It was so small that he was sure only trained Jedi who knew what they were looking for would have felt it. He turned quickly and began to run down the slope, knowing that he had minutes … at most. As he ran down the hill he swiftly went into his hut and retrieved a small capsule.

Rey was sleeping peacefully when he saw her, her staff was next to her and she was using a grey bag as a pillow. The fire was beginning to die out. He quickly crouched down and shook her awake. She sat up quickly and looked at him.

“What is it?” She quickly noticed his demeanour and knew something was wrong.

“They are coming.” He said flatly. “We have to go.” He began to swiftly make his way down the hill to the death traps he called stairs. Rey was with him quickly, her hair was flowing around her shoulders, it was knotted and messy in places and did not look like it had been washed in days.

“What about my training?” She called from behind him.

“You won’t have any training if he gets into your mind!” He yelled after her. “Where is the ship that you came in?” He said quickly.

“It’s on a stone outcrop down by the sea.” She said as they both descended the stairs. He let out a curse, Rey was taken aback by the Jedi’s lax in control for a second but he quickly re-gained his discipline.

When they were a few steps away from the stone outcrop they saw them. The slightly darker silhouettes of First Order Tie-Fighters. Rey could feel a mounting fear in her.

They had no way of opening the hatch to the ship quickly and Tie-Fighters were beginning to land. Luke looked around quickly then threw out his hand and in one swift motion the hatch opened.

“Get in, now.” Luke said, Rey did not need to be told twice. She ran onto the ship and began to yell for Chewie to wake up.

There were a few answering growls from the Wookie as he stood up and rubbed his eyes. Luke meanwhile had made his way to the cockpit and had sat down, beginning to prime the fuel pump and pressing buttons quickly.

“We have to go!” She yelled as the Wookie inquired through a series of growls and whines why they had woken him up. “The First Order are here!” She said, this time more frantically.

“Hold on!” A yell from the cockpit announced. They began to lift off. R2D2 was awake now and was beeping indignantly at this rude welcome back.

Rey stumbled through the ship as it was vibrating. She sat herself down in the seat next to Luke. The old man looked at her for a second before a jolt in the ship made Rey hit the side of the control panel painfully.

*

In a dark ship behind the Falcon Kylo Ren yelled into his intercom.

“Do not shoot it down! Only inflict small amounts of damage that will force it to land! Do not damage the hyper drive!” He yelled at the intercom.

“But Sir-” A Squadron leader began to say before he was cut off by the Knight.

“Are you questioning me?” He said in a low dangerous tone as he looked at the Falcon before him. _She_ was in there, with his uncle.

“No-no, of course not sir!” The Trooper quickly said.

Kylo Ren began to focus all his efforts on getting into the girl’s head, on getting past that _damned_ barrier.

*

Luke was beginning to fly out of the planet’s atmosphere, closely pursued by about a dozen Tie-Fighters. Chewie was thundering around the ship groaning while R2 was keeping quiet.

“I need to know where the base is.” Luke said quickly. “If we have any hope of getting out of this alive, we need to go.”

“D-D’Q…” Her voice trailed off.

“Rey?!” Luke said again, all nonchalant thoughts were now gone, replaced with urgency.

Rey was trying to answer when she felt a great pressure on her mind, her headache had multiplied tenfold. The world was spinning, white dots clouded her view. Luke seemed to realise what was happening.

“You need to clear your mind; you have to fight it. Fight him.” Luke said quietly in a serious tone.

Rey’s world was spinning; she could feel Kylo Ren’s presence in her mind. She began to clear her head, just as she had failed to do earlier in the day. Rey began to push feebly at his presence. It suddenly became almost too easy.

“D’Qar.” Rey said quickly. Luke hit light speed and they were gone in a flurry of blue light.

*

Kylo Ren saw the bolt of light speed as if it was not himself watching it. It was a surreal experience. One minute he was nearly in her mind, almost had her in the palm of his hands, the next minute; she was galaxies away.

He could feel rage begin to seize up inside him. Red hot anger seemed to surge through his veins not blood. He was half way through punching the co-ordinates to the planet D’Qar when a voice sounded over the intercom. It was a thick Russian accent.

“We will be overrun if we continue to follow them.” The voice said.

Kylo paused while his fingers itched with the co-ordinates as he imagined the displeasure of the Supreme Leader if he were to lose a squadron of Stormtroopers. They had lost a majority of the Stormtroopers in the destruction of Star Killer base. Another loss would not be wise, especially if it could be avoided.

“Pull the divisions out.” He said finally. He could feel his ship, once more kick into light speed, but it was on its way to a distant planet, far from the location that he should be.  D’Qar.

He stood up briskly and pulled his lightsaber from his belt and ignited it. Its red light illuminated the side of the space ship. He began to slash at the machinery with vigour, creating gashes in the expensive equipment. He did not care. He knew, as he destroyed the console, that next time he would not let the girl out of his reach.

“Rey.” He said under his breath as he breathed heavily. Her name tasted sweet on his tongue, she would not escape him again. That, he promised himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I love seeing your reviews, your subscribes and Kudos, it means a lot, more than you know!  
> I don't think I will be able to post as much until the end of my exams which start in a couple of weeks, so stay tuned!  
> I hope you enjoyed! Thank you!


	5. Chapter 5

Rey could not help but slump back in her chair when she felt the weight in the back of her mind lift. 

Luke was looking at her, his face was etched with concern and complete seriousness. Rey smiled weakly, this was enough to convey that she was okay and she had done well. That she had not allowed Kylo Ren access to her thoughts. He nodded silently and turned back to the window which was filled with streaks of white and blue hyper-space. Rey felt strangely comforted by the lights.

“We will be arriving at D’Qar in about half an hour. I would advise you to get some rest.” He said finally. He had regained the stoic expression that he wore on the island. Rey nodded once more and then stood up, adrenaline still pumped through her veins.

As she began to walk through the ship she realised that in half an hour she would be seeing Finn again. She would be seeing her friend. She sighed happily, a feeling of giddy relief fuelling her. She walking into the living quarters to see Chewie lying on a bed, his back facing her. He was mumbling under his breath, presumably about being woken up. 

Rey crept past him to the captain’s quarters on the ship.

The Falcon was small for a freighter and it seemed that the captain’s quarters were an afterthought. The room was about two metres square. There was a bed crammed into a corner and a jumble of mismatched boxes stuffed haphazardly in the corner. It seemed like the room was used primarily for storage uses as the boxes and bed were coated with a thick layer of dust.

Rey walked over to the boxes and began to rifle through them. She felt an undertone of guilt but quickly brushed it aside, assuring herself that Han would have allowed her to do this. Whether this was true or not she would never know, but it helped her conscience.

As she immediately gravitated towards a big box which seemed the most appealing to her. She opened it tentatively, hoping not to wake up Chewie with her riffling. The first thing she saw in the box was a thick layer of dust atop it. She blew the box and immediately a cloud of dust shot up in her face and she had to cover her mouth to stop the sounds of her coughing from reaching the other passengers.

As she looked into the box, with her eyes watering, she immediately realised that the box was full of children’s toys. Small model AT-AT’s much like the one that Rey had lived in on Jakku, small Ewoks that by the looks of them looked like they had been well used, an X-Wing with a broken wing, there were small TIE-Fighters, as well as a small blue blanket.   
She pulled out the blanket and looked at it. It was too small to cover a body; she was curious as to why someone may have such a useless object. As she examined it more she could see how worn and old it must have been. One corner of the blanket was more dishevelled than all the others, as if it had been chewed on.

Rey looked back into the crate again and saw a smaller, more delicate box inside. She peered closer and decided to take it out. She lightly pulled the small box out of the crate, making sure not to dislodge or break any of the small model vehicles which had been battered enough. Rey sat on the bed as she brushed a fine layer of dust from the lid, once the layer of dust had dispersed she could see letters engraved on the lid of the box “L B H”.

She found a miniature metal latch on the side of the small box. The box itself was about the size of a child’s music box and made of a dark, polished wood material. She unlatched the metal hook with a small click. 

She did not know what she was expecting to be inside but it was not this. Inside was a small circular disk, that was slightly raised up. She frowned at it, scrutinizing the disk as though expecting it to come alive at any second. Rey was woefully disappointed.

She tentatively picked up the disk from the velvet cushion that it had been perched upon. Rey examined it, there seemed to be nothing remarkable about the small circular podium. She frowned at it once more before flipping it over so that she could see the underside of it. Underneath there was a small button that if it were not for her trained scavenger eyes she may not have seen. She pressed the button and jumped in fright as a voice began to play from the disk. She jumped so much in fact that she dropped the silver disk on the floor.

She leaned forward and could see two small holo-figures being projected by a small blue light in the middle of the disk. One figure was tall and handsome, she had only seen his face with gray hair and defined wrinkles but here it seemed twenty or thirty years younger. The other figure was a small chubby toddler with messy tufts of hair on his head.

“Come on, we have to save the Resistance!” The voice of Han Solo rang out. She smiled sadly as she watched as he picked up an X-Wing and started waving it around in smooth motions. The small boy gurgled and laughed at his father as he picked up another X-Wing and started, more haphazardly, waving it around.

“Oh no! The Empire is coming! Watch out!” Han picked up a small model TIE-Fighter which had the imperial emblem on it, Han started waving it around.

“Pew! Pew!” The small boy giggled. “I shot you!” The boy laughed gleefully.

“Oh no, I’m going doooown!” Han said as the Tie-Tighter crashed. With Han’s hand holding the X-Wing he began to swoop down near the floor to make an educated landing. The small boy on the other hand made a very quick landing, smashing the X-Wing to the ground, a wing being snapped off. The two looked at each other and began to laugh.

“Don’t tell your mother, okay? Can I count on you to do that, Ben?” Han said as he scooped up the broken X-Wing and threw it into a box behind him, the wing had been brushed under a bed beside them.

“Yeah.” The small boy laughed. Han looked over to a place out of view.

“Oh no, it is way past your bed time.” Han said, a flicker of worry flashed across his face as he shuffled towards the boy and scooped him up in his arms.

“No! Wait! My blanket!” The boy was wriggling and stretching his arms to a square piece of blue fabric on the floor. Han ducked down so that the boy could reach and grab the blanket. Immediately the small boy began to chew on the corner.

“You know your mother wants you to stop doing that, right?” Rey heard Han say as he walked out of frame. The small boy just giggled. Then the blue light from the holo-video that had illuminated the room went out.

 

Rey was left staring at the place that the hologram had been playing, just staring at it as the image of Han Solo and his son, Ben, was left burning on the inside of her eyes. She slowly looked down at the blanket that she was holding, subconsciously wondering how long it had been since Ben Solo had touched it. She sighed. 

It was as though everything she thought she knew wasn’t real. Kylo Ren no longer seemed to exist just as a cold hearted killer, he had a past life, he probably had friends, a favourite toy. It made hating him somewhat harder, knowing that he had a past, just like everyone else. He had a childhood, he had parents that loved him.

She tentatively ducked down and picked up the disk, she placed it gently back into the velvet box and shut the lid with a small click. She stood up and placed the box within the crate which she now knew to be a toy chest. She saw the broken X-Wing and traced her fingers across it for a second. He wasn’t a monster to begin with. He just made all the wrong choices.

Rey sat down on the dusty captains bed. She looked round the small room for any sign of pictures, anything that remotely indicated that this room once belonged to Han Solo. Rey sighed.

Ben Solo, Kylo Ren, she reminded herself, had everything she had ever wanted, everything she had ever dreamt of. He had loving, adoring parents who would play pretend with him. He had a good home and lots of people who cared about him. All she had ever had was Unkar Plutt. Why would he just throw that all away? Rey asked herself.

She stood up and began to quietly make her way back to the cockpit. She pasted Chewie who was sitting up groggily. Rey nodded to him as she walked past. 

When she arrived at the cockpit she saw R2 almost completely obstructing the aisle which led to the way. She began to try and edge past him when he let out a string of indignant beeps and wheeled backwards. 

“Sorry.” She muttered under her breath as the droid continued to beep. 

She slumped in the seat next to Luke. She studied the old face, wondering what he had seen and where he had been. She slowly dragged her gaze from him to the great window before them which now displayed the almost completely green planet; wisps of cloud stretched around the ball of green, as though hugging it. Small spots of blue marred the green visage as the planet grew closer to them. 

“You were lucky this time. Next time you may not be as lucky.” Luke said after a long stretched silence.

“I know. That is why I need you to teach me. I didn’t ask to have this-this connection or whatever it is.” Rey replied, trying to keep her voice as cool as the Jedi beside her, but failing miserably.

“You need to control your emotions.” Luke voiced what she was thinking. She shook her head and did not reply. She knew that she was being childish, but now that the adrenaline was slowly losing its punch she was becoming tired and indignant.

*

 

There were yells coming from outside. 

At first Leia thought that it was the First Order, she was half way across the room to raise the alarm when she registered that the yells were not of fear and terror, but anticipation and excitement. People were running through the room to get to the outside landing strip. 

When a young pilot came level to her the General threw out her arm, halting him. He frowned slightly and looked like he was about to say something but then he realised who exactly had stopped him.

“Gen-General Organa! I didn’t see you the-” The pilot began to say.

“Never mind that,” She cut him off. “what’s happening?” She said quickly, her voice was deadly serious.

“It’s the Falcon! It’s coming in to land right now!” The excited young man replied, as if he were not able to contain his anticipation. “General?” He said uncertainly after she did not respond.

“Carry on.” She said finally once she began to digest the information. She was immediately filled with nervous energy as she began a brisk walk to get out of the underground base. 

The steel doors flung open before her. When she stepped outside she had to shield her eyes from the bright sunlight, waiting for her eyes to readjust. When she removed her hand from her eyes she saw a big crowd gathered around the Millennium Falcon. She began to walk towards it, slow at first but then quickly.

“Watch out!” She heard someone yell from behind her. It was Poe pushing Finn in a wheelchair at top speed as though he was attempting to take off down the run way. Finn was laughing like a child. 

“Faster! Come on! You call yourself the best pilot in the Resistance but you can’t go any quicker?!” Finn was attempting to coax Poe in a running even faster, even though if he ran any faster it was likely that he would fall off the wheel chair, but that didn’t seem to bother Finn. Leia laughed at the two grown men who were acting like boys.

As the wheelchair and its driver sped ahead of her she began to break into a jog to get to the whispering and muttering crowd. When she got to the outer edge of the group the crowd silenced and shuffled aside to produce a small aisle which Leia could walk down. She stood up straight and began to walk towards the Falcon, her heart was pumping rapidly with nervous anticipation.

What if he isn’t with them?

The ramp slowly opened with a hissing sound.

What if Rey couldn’t persuade him to come back?

The crowd was silent in anticipation. You could hear a pin drop. There was movement from within the ship. The group of onlookers waited with baited breath. There was a hiss from the ship as the ramp dropped to the concrete runway with a not-so-graceful thud. 

People were raising themselves on tip-toes trying to get a better look. Then they heard footsteps emanating from inside the freighter. Leia could hear her heart beating so loudly that she was surprised no one else could hear it and questioned whether she was having a heart attack. The footsteps were growing louder. Then she saw the flick of a hem of a cloak.

The old weathered form of Luke Skywalker emerged from the equally old and weathered Millennium Falcon. Leia felt her heart catch in her chest as she saw the person that she had so longed to see. Everyone was silent. Leia could feel the gazes from members of the Resistance on her neck. 

With a fleeting glance at the crowd Luke located his sister. She had changed her hair, was his first thought. She was smiling, a smile that did not reach her eyes. Her eyes were where the real sadness was etched and would be etched for all eternity. 

Luke began to stride towards her, and her to him. They bridged the gap between each other and closed it fully with an embrace. There was absolute silence for a second before the crowd began to cheer. There was a newly restored hope within the group.

While all the ordeal had been going on Rey had quietly made her way down the ramp and had watched as the two siblings had reunited. She ignored the nagging ache of loneliness and want in her chest. She quickly searched the crowd from where she stood for Finn and Poe. It did not take long to locate them. She looked in surprise and confusion at Finn who was sitting in a wheel chair. She quickly began to walk down the ramp and stride swiftly towards her friend. She poked Finn hard on the shoulder.

“Hey!” He said in an annoyed voice. “Watch it!” He then turned to see who had poked him and his face full of annoyance turned almost comically to one of childish happiness and surprise. “Rey!” He held up his arms, like a child who wanted to be picked up. Rey leaned down and hugged him. She felt him tense under her touch, she had applied possibly too much pressure to his back which was still healing.

Rey could see his lips moving but could not hear any words coming out of his mouth due to the sudden uproar from the crowd. She frowned and shook her head; she then pointed down the runway and mouthed ‘Follow me’. Finn nodded and turned to look at Poe, who also nodded and began to push Finn in his wheel chair after Rey. 

Once they were a little way away from the loud and rowdy group of people, far enough away to hear herself think, Rey turned around to face Finn and Poe.

“Why are you in – that?” Rey motioned to the wheelchair, she couldn’t quite mask the worry in her tone.

“Oh, this?” Finn looked down at the wheel chair and smiled. “It’s-”

“The newest model of X-Wing, only it’s a WC-Wing. Yeah, the Resistance is getting a lot more of these bad boys.” Poe said in a voice that was drenched in sarcasm as he patted the wheel chair lovingly.

“I’m serious.” Rey said, she was not in the mood for niceties.

“I will be up and running in no time. It’s not permanent.” Finn said, a frown creased his young features. “Hey, are you okay?” He asked, there was just as much concern in his voice that there was in in Rey’s.

“Yeah, yeah. I’m just tired. It’s been a long day.” She said finally. It had indeed been a long day. All the adrenaline that she had just hours previously had now dispersed.

“Hmm.” Finn did not seem convinced.

“I am just going to go and find an empty room and set up base there.” She said as she stifled a yawn. The sun was chasing the hills fast now as the ascending darkness approached. Finn nodded and Poe offered a small smile.

Rey nodded and waved as a way of saying good night. The crowd of people were dispersing now, returning to the inside of the base. Rey walked half-heartedly to an empty room, dually wishing for sleep. She felt a huge weight on her shoulders knowing that she would soon have to tell Finn of the Force Bond between herself and Kylo Ren. She knew that he would not react in a good way. But she had to do it. She just had too.

*

Kylo Ren had since recovered his composure when his dark, looming, bat-like ship entered the landing bay, flanked by a dozen Tie-Fighters.

After Kylo had displayed a suitable amount of rage onto some expensive control panels inside his ship he had inquired about who had questioned what he was about to do back on Ahch-To but the infamous Stormtrooper who had questioned him had not answered which frustrated Kylo more.

He stood ready for the hatch to open. He was itching to go back to his quarters and meditate, to think about what he had done wrong, and most importantly, to think about how he would next attempt to get close to her. The scavenger.

The hatch opened swiftly and smoothly. Kylo began to stride from his ship and was halfway across the landing bay when a white masked figure stood resolutely before him. Kylo halted before him, wondering if the Stormtrooper knew that at this time his temper was not to be tested.

“Sir!” The Stormtrooper said curtly, his voice had a robotic tone through the mask. “The Supreme Leader requests your presence.” Kylo sighed inwardly and nodded as he began to trudge off to the meeting chamber.

*  
The meeting room was the same as it had been hours before, a vast cavernous space with a figure at the end of a long aisle which would decide what he was to do next. Kylo’s footsteps were the only sound that penetrated the room.

“Supreme Leader.” Kylo reached the podium where Snoke sat, it was impossible to sense what the Supreme Leader was thinking, his face was devote of emotions.

“You did not reach the girl, I presume?” The Supreme Leader said in a low voice with ricocheted off the walls. His tone was not angry, but disappointed.

“No Supreme Leader, but –” 

“I do not want to hear your excuses. You failed. You will not fail again, understand me?” The Supreme Leader cut him off. His tone was dead serious.

“Yes. I understand.” Kylo said finally as he looked at the ground.

“You will have to go to her. This time on your own. You will need to blend in, make them believe you are one of them. Then find her. After you unlock your bond, you will return back here, to me. We will discuss further what to do next at that time.” The Supreme Leader said in a weary voice. “Now go, prepare for your journey.” The Supreme Leader held up a hand which was almost bone, a thin layer of skin veiled it.

“Of course, Supreme Leader.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Sorry I was late but I have been SUUUUUPER stressed with exams so I forgot to upload (oops) so here it is! I hope you enjoyed!

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I know it's pretty short but I will be updating next week ^-^


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